"Sniper Alley"

This is the major artery connecting the new industrial part of
the city with the Old Town and cultural center. During the siege, it was dominated by high ground affording snipers extensive fields of fire.

A primary goal of the siege was to cut the city into two parts. That strategy was thwarted: though Sniper Alley remained dangerous to all traffic, the passageway was never completely cut.

There were always those willing to defy the risks in order
to move about their city, but hundreds were killed taking
that last journey.

The broad, pock-marked avenue is barren and gray, a relic of the
drab socialist industrial ideal whose demise presaged the present
hostilities. As in the rest of Sarajevo, trees are conspicuously
absent, having been sacrificed for more pressing needs: firewood
and coffins.

We want to transform Sniper Alley into a tree-lined boulevard dedicated to those who have died while trying to live in peace.
This "Avenue of the Martyrs" would be bordered by sidewalk areas
broad enough to facilitate kiosks and al fresco cafe seating.

The Avenue of the Martyrs will require a landscape plan, designs
for protected waiting areas, architectural details for paving and
light fixtures, and many other features.